Michigan's Triathlon & Duathlon Championship - Spr - TriathlonSprint


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Waterford, Michigan
United States
3Disciplines
50F / 10C
Sunny
Total Time = 1h 24m 42s
Overall Rank = 97/232
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 13/25
Pre-race routine:

This was my first ever Triathlon. I got there right when transition opened at 7:00 am and got the first spot on the rack. Did my best to set up my gear below my bike and kept modifying my arrangement as I saw how others set up. Due to the cold weather (<50 degrees before the race) I kept my layers on until about 15 minutes before the race. My family arrived about 40 minutes before the start of my age group, wished me luck and held my extra clothes during the swim.
Event warmup:

I did a little stretching but not much else. Too darn cold and too darn antsy.
Swim
  • 12m 31s
  • 547 yards
  • 02m 17s / 100 yards
Comments:

This was another first for me...1st OWS! It was a wave start in about chest high water. I hung out about midway to the back until start. Maybe started too strong as I felt fatigued about 2/3 to the 1st buoy (1st buoy at 225m). Really struggled with navigation but I suspect that is par for the course for one's 1st OWS. Had to do a bit of breaststroke but tried to freestyle as much as possible. Was happy when the swim was done. Water temp didn't feel too bad at start but cold got to me near the end.
What would you do differently?:

More OWS practice and more time in the water overall. Didn't really concentrate on stroke much during the swim. Too much going on around me and too much struggling to go in a straight line.
Transition 1
  • 05m 31s
Comments:

Felt like a super slow transition and I guess it was. The lake seemed a long way from the transition. Cycling shirt got stuck putting it on and then had to put on a long sleeve shirt over that. Never practiced a transition so I guess you get what you train for.
What would you do differently?:

Practice and avoid cold weather so I can wear less clothes (LOL).
Bike
  • 37m 40s
  • 12 miles
  • 19.12 mile/hr
Comments:

This was definitely my strongest segment. After the cold swim and the slow transition I really tried to put the hammer down. I think I was only passed a couple of times and definitely made up time. Had a lot of fun on this segment!
What would you do differently?:

More time in the saddle. I got back into riding a little over a year ago after taking more than 15 years off. Definitely think with more practice I can get my avg speed into low 20's! Didn't spend enough time concentrating on my pedal stroke, definitely can improve there as well.
Transition 2
  • 02m 14s
Comments:

Thought I did better here but did not compare well with my age group.
What would you do differently?:

I should have practiced this. Probably a greater sense of urgency in the future will help.
Run
  • 26m 48s
  • 3.11 miles
  • 08m 37s  min/mile
Comments:

I guess I did about as well as I could hope here. I have always hated running and have never run regularly until about 3 months ago. Felt like the turn around would never come but the once I passed that point I really seemed to run better (the fact that it was slightly down hill probably helped). Video shot by my wife at the end showed me hobbling a bit, suspect that shin/calf pain was bothering me at that point. I motivated myself and the runner slightly ahead of me to sprint each other to the finish line. Above all I wanted to finish as strong as possible.
What would you do differently?:

More running training. For a new runner I guess I can't be unhappy with the result.
Post race
Warm down:

Found my family, took some pictures and started dissecting the race in my head.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Transitions and the newness to swimming and running.

Event comments:

At first I rated the race a 4 due to how cold it was, but how can I hold the organizer responsible for the weather? For my first tri it was great. I would have loved to finish a bit closer to 1 hr and 15 minutes but that gives me something to shoot for in the future.




Last updated: 2007-09-07 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:12:31 | 547 yards | 02m 17s / 100yards
Age Group: 11/25
Overall: 114/232
Performance: Average
Suit: Jammers
Course: Rectangle
Start type: Wade Plus: Waves
Water temp: 67F / 19C Current: Low
200M Perf. Average Remainder: Average
Breathing: Average Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Below average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 05:31
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Run with bike: No
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
00:37:40 | 12 miles | 19.12 mile/hr
Age Group: 8/25
Overall: 66/232
Performance: Good
Wind: Some
Course: Lot of traffic and rolling hills. Hopefully in the future they will be able to close the roads for the event. Cars were respectful about passing but lots of cars backed up at intersection midway through.
Road: Smooth  Cadence: 95
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 02:14
Overall: Below average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
00:26:48 | 03.11 miles | 08m 37s  min/mile
Age Group: 16/25
Overall: 118/232
Performance: Good
Course: Out and back with last segment on a trail.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5